The Personal Trainer SEQUEL TO: The Mistress
by lazyhappylucky
Summary: "I assume this is something men usually do for their women. While, in all honestly, you'll be physically willing no matter how well I treat you, you're just that type of person. So in reality I'm treating you with love and respect of my own will."
1. Misconcept

**A few important notes:**

**This is the sequel to "The Mistress", if you haven't read it you may not understand this story but I'll probably format it so you can pick up on the context clues and understand what's going on.**

**I have been gone forever! I've been helping people in other countries so hopefully you guys will find it in your hearts to forgive my absence, it was for a very good cause.**

**Please please please excuse spelling mistakes!**

**And yes, I am still working on "The Branded", a completely unrelated story. I'm a busy little sun of a gun.**

"I'm unsatisfied with myself." She murmured as she shut the door.

"What now?" he groaned, slinging back in his chair with a stack of unorganized and meaningless papers in his hands. He groaned, knowing this would lead to another one of those marital conversations.

"Look at me." she whined, tapping his shoulder in defense. A defense she often used because she didn't know much of anything else.

"I _am _looking at you." he ran his free hand through his thick, black tresses. They were tangled and matted with grease, it had been days since he even thought about combing that mess upon his head. It was so unlike him. "Do you have such a low self esteem that you have to reduce every shingle of a nerve you have to a lack in sexual attraction?" He didn't mean to be so harsh, it was just one of those days.

"Why won't you just say it? I know its what you think..." Hinata covered her forehead in some form of self induced shame.

"You want me to admit this? You want me to reassure all of your imperfections to feed into your little selfish insecurity which we all know is just another petty ploy to occupy your time and make everyone feel sorry for you."

She just stood there with the wide eyes of a young child just deprived of his favorite toy. "Why would you say that?"

"Isn't that what you wanted me to say?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, staring into his stack of papers.

"No." she whimpered. "Why would I want you to say that? What wife wants her husband to tell her she's fat?" It did slightly change his position, he wasn't thinking as rationally as he was Sasukely. He was in a bad mood, he had that sacred excuse and he would use it to humiliate and demean her as long as it stood strong.

"Yes, Hinata, you're still attractive to me." he finally sighed, just saying whatever he thought she would be most pleased with.

"You mean that?" she stepped closer to him, placing her hands on his tense shoulders.

"Dammit, Hinata. We have two kids, and since we both know what you have to do in order to get children, lets agree that I still view you as moderately attractive." He began his ramble as he normally did.

"I need someone." she stepped away and began an outloud thinking process.

"Why is that?" Sasuke turned around in his seat as his ears perked in suspicion with a slight dash of accentuating masculine jealousy.

"It's not important." she shook her head with a half smile.

"I'll take your word for it." he sighed, turning back around to sign sheet after sheet of business documents, proposals and approvals. So forth he didn't care for but had to do in order to keep a thriving house hold. It was almost a cruel irony that his house was less than vivacious on a regular basis.

Seconds passed as he signed and stamped sheets, like clock work. As of late it seemed as though everyone wanted a piece of him. Itachi still lusted after his portion of their business and the family home. Tsunade turned him into her own personal punching bag as she constantly flooded him with her busy work, as a pre approval task for someone who was perhaps nearly somewhat capable of becoming a potential hokage. While everyone in town needed him for an endorsement, stock purchasing and so forth. Hinata herself, needed him as a husband, his children were much less demanding since they were cared for by Hinata's highest paid nurse.

"Why are you still here?" he turned around once again in annoyance of his wife's nearly silent breathing from behind him.

"Well...you did say we would be going to town today...but if you don't have time..." she meekly looked at her thumbs as she poked them together awkwardly.

How could he possibly deny her this? She stood there so coyly with that saintishly seducing smile and that immature disposition. He would hate himself if he didn't fulfill this for her, if only once. "Why don't you go fix your hair in the vanity? I'll be out in an hour."

"You sound like you don't really want to go."

"I don't, I just assume this is something men usually do for their women. While, in all honestly, you'll be physically willing no matter how well I treat you, you're just that type of person. So, in reality I'm actually treating you with respect and love of my own will." his fingers tapped against the table, he had no idea why he was thinking out loud.

"Sasuke...everything that happened...before...I forgive you." Hinata said, leaning up against the door.

"I could care less whether or not you forgive me, that's not on my agenda. Is it wrong for a husband to want to tend to his wife's every need?"

"Well, every need may be an exaggeration." Hinata said humorously.

"Oh and now you're joking with me as if we were old friends?" a modest smirk graced his face. Hinata stepped towards him slowly, gently brushing her moist lips against his dry, and unwashed cheek. Short and jagged stubble poked through his pores and prickled her lips.

He bit the inside of his cheek, fighting the urge to grab her face and press his lips against her own. But no, he wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

The clock ticked away, each moment being knocked down and reduced to mere time in the flow of reality. She walked on the sidewalk ahead of him, surrounded by towering buildings and shops. Men and women guarding kiosks licked their lips in note of the Uchiha's deep pockets, praying on his wife's wandering eye and her attraction to "antique" commodities. The concrete hell he'd learned to recognize so well.

He did analyze her from behind, he often found himself trailing behind her like a lost puppy. Ironic as to how before, it was she that followed him to any dark corner. The heels of her shoes tapped on the pavement, each single stroke making its permanent mark on the earth. She never wore them before, she complained of pain surrounding her ankles and an awkward sense of sexual discomfort. Perhaps it was her recent acnowledgement of her increasing weight that provoked her to desire such things she once described as superficial. What scared him to no official amount was his ability to sense a stop coming by what targets he viewed ahead.

Hinata turned to a window, running her eyes over every detail of the advertisement showcased there. Her eyes became wide like that of a young child when presented with something they truly wanted, an ad for some cheaply made yet overpriced material for the purpose of making a given person appear to be thinner. Since when did his wife become so self centered?

"You don't need it." He spoke, just trying to say what she needed to hear.

"I do. I just want to be perfect for you." she turned to him, gently rubbing his arm. His stomach turned at her sweetness, the fact that he was undeserving at him alive.

"Regardless of how perfect you appear to be, it won't change the fact that under your clothes, the only parts of you I _really _care about, will wilt and age just as you do. If you'd stop trying to tweak every detail of your body, perhaps you'd have a better chance of remaining youthful naturally." she hated his lectures.

He didn't understand what it was like to be a woman approaching 30, outer beauty and natural sense of sexuality slowly dwindles. Hair will fade and become gray, lips will begin to become less perky and plump, skin will sag and become lifeless.

Sasuke's eyes trailed over her face, watching as her expression dosed from hopeful to disappointed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so blunt." his apology didn't help his situation as he seemed to be apologizing for her lack of mental capacity when it came to common sense.

"No, I'm sorry. I was being foolish." she sighed in that low, emotionless tone she did as she began walking once again. The confidence she'd carried with her on the way, now reduced to that of a mustard seed. She watched her feet with every step they took, sighing and breathing more abnormally by the moment.

Despite her unwillingness to return to body, they held hands, the sad truth was that regardless of how prized and perfect they were, the affect of their relationship on the general population was fading. They were no longer the "cutest" couple. It was sad how fame came and went around those parts, especially for a woman nearing her mid life. Sasuke paid it all no mind, his physical being gave off no hint of aging, even as he was expecting his thirty-sixth birthday soon. He just didn't know why she obsessed about age, he'd been mentally sixty for such a long time, age was nothing but a number to him. It seemed as though she detested being gawked at by young teenage girls, who assumed the nature of her marriage was so glamorous, and elder couples who based their love as a reminiscent memory of their own. In reality, as the adoration disappeared, she lusted after it more and more. Before Sasuke knew it, she was coordinating her cocktail dresses to his suits, they were holding hands as they walked down the road, whenever someone stopped to speculate he would find himself locked in a faux kiss filled with faux passion.

Now the only thing he cared to figure out was her current mood, she held him so tightly yet felt so cold and distant. She didn't bother to throw him a glance, instead was walking with eyes straight and the occasional sigh of displacement. It reminded him of the way they used to be. Why did he start caring? "Hinata, stop this." he said, almost beggingly. "You know I mean you no harm, I just want you to understand how I feel."

"I'm truly alright, don't be concerned." she said, half smile girded with lies.

"Look," he speed-walked over to a wrack of flowers, where a vendor stood advertising supposed "fresh picked" roses. Sasuke didn't care whether the roses were fresh picked from a garden or fresh picked from shit, this fit his situation well enough. Hinata watched, predicting his every movement. He shoved his hand into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet, no doubt his fist appeared with dollars in overflow. He offered them to the vendor by pushing them in his face, he smiled eagerly with greed and took his dirty money, replacing the money with several plooms of roses by the dozen. He grabbed them roughly, probably killing several buds, walking back with a pathetic little smile and arms full of "beautiful" flowers. Of course, this wasn't always the case, occasionally he offered her jewelry, some times it was expensive clothes or cuisine. "Flowers." he showed her, as if she didn't already know what they were.

She accepted them, somewhat pleased, only somewhat.

He frowned at her unchanged expression. "I don't suppose you'll be letting me off easy this time?" Sasuke groaned inwardly, realizing exactly what was happening and feeling quite stupid for not being clever enough to have stopped it. Here came the inevitable correction, the righting of his wrongs.

"The flowers...are lovely." Hinata nodded in acceptance of his weak plea for forgiveness.

_What was I thinking? Flowers always work! _"I'd assume the flowers were poisoned by your expression. You don't exactly seem thrilled." He spoke, glancing to a passer by who seemed extremely too into their conversation, giving him a confused eye.

Hinata linked her pinky into his, tugging him in the most gentle way possible along their trail. She was always cryptic with these things, she would never let him onto what her heart was truly saying. Instead, she would rather ignore the situation, ignore everything and hope it would fade into daylight like most of her problems did before. It only recently occurred to her that she could only cover up her mess to a certain extent before the very thing she used to cover it, became a whole new mess of its own.

"Do you plan on speaking or are we going through another 'post marital' stage again?" His humor was really making her sick.

"Would you listen if I told you?" the sarcasm was like a snake bite.

"I'm sensing a moral to all of this."

"What I want never matters to you." She could have been more blunt, but he'd be too distracted by the bluntness to properly assess what he needed to do.

"That's not necessarily true." He spoke, examining his surrounding for no particular reason. "Your desires have a high importance in my mind, whereas I like to leave them as just that, desires."

"I expect that of you." she replied, coldly.

"Did you?" he raised a brow. "When you spend most of your marriage, ignoring your other half, finding her opinions even somewhat relevant slips through the cracks."

"That was suck a long time ago."

"Yet you speak of it like it was just yesterday, atleast when its convenient for you." Sasuke said, lashingly.

"Because it still hurts." her eyes wandered, the colors of the street catching her pupils and drawing them every which way. She spotted a man, stretching between several men and women, a pretty poor amount to add. They all tapped each other's shoulder's, whispering of the man's physical build. He was fit to be sure, Hinata's eyes remained fixed on his persona.

"Well I'm sorry that it hurts. What more can I do?" Although this was an alleged apology, it sounded so much like he was demanding forgiveness from her.

"I need him." For the very first time in this crazy adventure they referred to as a committed relationship, Hinata ignored something Sasuke said. In fact, she released his smallest finger and began to be drawn in my the man's aptitude.

Sasuke's eyes furrowed drastically, almost to the point where they would not become unfurrowed at any point. He stomped behind her in a modest sense of alarm, looking about at all the people who'd seen that (about three, but regardless of that) winning over their agreement with his quick, unsure glances.

Hinata smiled, the man stretched over and over for the people around him as if this were a performance. She later caught sight of a small sign on the ground near him, stating his name and purpose. The man looked up at her, seemingly buzzed with a natural excitement. "Hello there, Lovely." he held his hand out to embrace hers. She giggled, placing her palm where his was. He kissed it for an extended three seconds before softly letting it go. "This is insanity, when a woman like you comes to my stand I get worried. How could you possibly become any more attractive?"

Hinata blushed...as usual.

"Excuse me, I am Rip Dansei. I work in physical fitness and you, my dear, are a _very _fine specimen. Who might you be?" His drawl cut Hinata's throat, she felt entranced even.

"Hinata Hyu...Uchiha."

"Hinata, what is this?" Sasuke stepped closer to her, not taking his eyes off this strange man for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I'm Rip Dansei. I work in physical fitness." He reintroduced himself and offered Sasuke his hand.

Sasuke immediately shrugged it away, he always thought handshakes were beneath him, especially those employed in casual jobs. "I heard your name." Sasuke nodded, bitter sweetness dripping from his non compliant tone.

"Sasuke, this is who I need." Hinata tugged his shirt slightly, her words caused Sasuke's stomach to do a flip flop.

"You are Sasuke Uchiha? I've heard of you from my home." he offered his hand once more.

"Yes, I'm Sasuke Uchiha. Who are you?" he speculated once more.

"I'm Rip Dansei, I work in physical fitness." Damn, his hand seemed to be permanently in that position.

"He just said that." Hinata pointed out.

"And you are Hinata Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha's wife?" he motioned with his finger between the two.

"Yes, she is." Sasuke took it upon himself to answer for her. "We're married." he had no idea why the most simple sentences were coming out of his mouth, he just had to make sure this guy was aware.

"I've heard." Rip nodded, obviously tired of the banter.

"I'm seeking your services." Sasuke had never heard Hinata speak so assertively on her own before. "You see, I need to lose twenty pounds-atleast." She really wanted this and it was just now hitting home for Sasuke.

"I wouldn't recommend you lose any weight." Rip shook his head, concentrating on her physical make up.

"She's had two children." Sasuke added. "She's almost thirty too." as if to deter his attraction to her. Hinata swatted at him.

"Nonsense, I wouldn't believe you were a day over twenty-four." Rip tilted his head to Hinata with a generous smile, she blushed once more. Sasuke grimaced in disgust of his polite drawl. "I'm nearly forty myself, but you're only as young as you feel."

Hinata's brows raised in delight. "I'd never imagine you were forty." she gasped.

"We've really got some place to be." Sasuke tugged at her dress strap.

"This will only take a moment." Rip assured them both, Hinata's eye never even left the man's face. "I can put you on a twice weekly schedule. My shop is just around the corner." he pointed.

"She'll be training with you...inside _your _shop?" Sasuke repeated what he'd heard, trying to understand to what extent he would have to murder himself.

"Sasuke, please don't make this a bid deal." Hinata whined, knowing what was coming before it came. Sasuke was notorious for his jealousy. He would do whatever he wanted while he'd speculate every detail of Hinata's personal life. He believed she should have no personal life, unfortunately the common law denied him of that "right".

"It's quite alright actually, I offer personal training sessions for the home." he spoke, directed at Hinata then turned to Sasuke. "If that is your preference." as if it were his choice, in all honestly it was.

He bit the inside of his lip, contemplating what he would say. He didn't want that man near his wife, her definitely didn't want him in his home near his children or anything else relatively important to him. Then again, how could he possibly let Hinata down? Well, easily but he'd decided he was "changed" and he wanted to show that finding of self to her. This just wasn't the way he'd expected.

"That's...fine." he nodded, feeling a release in his diaphragm.

"So well, I'll pencil you in sometime tonight and give you a call in the morning." his smile made Sasuke want to punch him in hidden areas.

"How exactly have you obtained my phone number?" Sasuke questioned suspiciously.

"It's right up there." Rip pointed to a sign overhead.

All three turned to look up at it.

_Sasuke Uchiha-XXX-XXXX_

_Damn, now he has my phone number. _Sasuke gnashed his teeth inside his mouth, this day had barely began and it was already starting to wear thin on his resistence.

"Like I said before, it would be such an honor to work with a woman of your physical magnitude." Rip flashed her an irony drenched grin, returning to his work as they had noticed a short line formed behind where they stood. As it turns out, the high class couple still attracted much attention, even enough to draw a small crowd to a sketchy outlet stand. It may have had something to do with Rip Dansei's appearance but Sasuke would never admit it.

Now, back to the matter at hand. He would **not**, absolutely would **not **have his wife disrespect him in that way. In all truth, what she did wasn't qualified as disrespect to anyone but the merciless force that was the Uchiha prodigy. The rest of their walk was short, and bitterly silent. The ride home in their exclusive black limousine was painfully silent. Dinner that night was deathly silent. No words were spoken by him as they lay in their bed last night nor as she dreamt sweetly of her soon to be "attractive" body. He wanted to show her the fullness of his disgust for her as of late. She understood and soaked in the rejection as she normally did, as a result she mirrored his silence. It was her only defense in this relationship, she only gave back what he put forth. An attempt to woo her was rare and normally followed with unpurposeful persecution much like today; much like many days ahead.

**Sorry for my absence, I'll try to write as much as I can between all the shiznit I'm currently into right now. I love you guys!**

**Thanks for readin' and thank you for being so good lookin'**


	2. Repent

**Sorry for the wait, I'm a busy bee. And sorry the last chapter was total shit, hopefully this one is a bit better.**

"Why is Daddie cranky, Mommie? Daddie, are you cranky?" Kyo wiggled his prepubescent hips with an innocent smile, his finger rubbing against the small under-developed teeth in his mouth.

"You're walking down a hall right?" Sasuke grabbed his son's wrists for another hypothetical story.

"Daddie, I'm not walking down a hall." Kyo rocked back and forth on his heels the way he always did.

"You're walking down a hall, aren't you?" Kyo simply nodded. "It's dark. There are three doors, one door has a bunch of new toys, the other has your brother behind it. In seven minutes the house is going to explode, which are you going to save?"

Kyo stopped his rocking and stuck his index finger into his mouth, eyebrows furrowed. This was his thinking face. "Can't I just come back for Sasuke?"

"Sasuke, please don't play mind games with the children." Hinata walked into the kitchen, where Sasuke and Kyo casually sat enjoying a mediocrely prepared breakfast. She looked beaten, tired and somewhat annoyed.

"Come along, Kyo. We must be preparing for your training." The oldest nurse came in, sweeping the young boy into her arms and hurrying him out of the room. Even she knew what had went on the past three days concerning the Lord and his wife. The entire house was speaking of it, to deaf ears. The Lord was back to his old antics of confusion and terror, although this wasn't news.

As soon as Kyo and the portly nurse who readily swept him up and took off were out of ear shot, Hinata turned to him.

He glanced up at her for just a moment, he felt cryptic today.

"This seems like something really trivial to be upset over." He said, reaching for the news paper which was on the edge of the table, for the purpose of having something to look at other than his wife. This was his way, he'd be angry, infuriated even but no matter what he would always accuse Hinata of holding a grudge when there was no real grudge to be found.

"If you don't want me to have this, fine. Cancel the credit tab and everything will return to normal."

"I want you to have this." He nodded his head as if his derived answer was obvious. "I have a bad feeling about it is all. You're my wife, the marital councilor did say I can no longer control your life." he spoke so humorously, flipping through lifeless and unimportant pages in the slaughter fest that was their weekly news paper.

"Isn't this what you want?" Here came the never-ending onslaught of questions with a motive the size of a blue whale backing them. She approached him, twirling her hips ever so slightly, unintentional yet nearly automatic, she'd learned this trick just days after their last marital crisis. "You should have the best of everything, that's what I want to give you."

His gaze surrounded her lower body, it had been his intentions not to play into her immature game but he was a man of only so many statutes. He didn't know what it was today that made him so attracted to the former Hyuuga. She had always been gorgeous, nearly irresistible, worth dying for by a normal man's standard, yet barely anything special to him. Now, in her darkening of age, he found every thing she did more sexual than ever. A simple smile corroded his will power, a turn of the head deflated his confidence. He was a slave to the woman he was so natured to overpowering.

"Don't try to appeal to my selfishness." he answered in a low groan, examining her menacingly. "Come here." his arm jutted out for her to grab onto, she readily accepted it, wrapping her fingers around it and giving him plenty of access to pull her in. She sat on his lap, as directed and immediately went to brushing her fingers up against the greasy film that existed on top of his unkempt hair. He kissed her chin as their faces barely rubbed together.

"It's so unlike you to engage this right here." Hinata giggled, a sound muffled by her lips pressed against Sasuke's stressed neck.

"My mood is liable to change." He shrugged in a certain devilishly cocky way which Hinata enjoyed so greatly. He gently intertwined his fingers into hers, kissing her shoulder as he dragged them down his chest to the groove that was the zipper of his weekday slacks.

Hinata blushed deeply, a normal defense of her's. "You're embarrassing me." she groaned happily in some derived sense of sensuality and ecstacy. "Perhaps we should go upstairs."

"Actually, your stooge should be arriving soon. It is Monday." He gave a false yawn to emphasize his sarcastic displeasure, standing up which caused her to in turn slide to her feet. His guilt trip would soon follow, a reverse psychological tactic. At times Hinata felt like their marriage was a game of chess, a game she had no chance of winning. "Besides, I've got some business to attend to this morning."

"Define business." Hinata tilted her head, the questioning wife.

"Absolutely not." he responded almost sing-songly, picking his suitcase up from the sideboard.

After many years of his silence, Hinata learned not to ask questions. Questions always got her into an existential threatening situation. She was vexed and repulsed by them. Marriage counciling with many doctors and "professionals" taught her to always ask questions but never suspect without reason. Contrary to that, she always suspected without reason and failed to ask questions. Sasuke took that and went about his way, it was no bother to him that she refused to ask him questions or rather she refused to demand an answer. This may have been the reason they didn't seem to fall into altercations as often at this time as much as they did before.

"Daddie! Daddie! Daddie! What that?" Kyo came running into the room, well actually he came tripping into the room. Tripping over his pants which were around his ankles at that. The nurse followed him clumsily, frightened that he was disturbing his father which could possibly cause a loss of her job. He paid them all specifically so he'd only have to be bothered with his children when he felt like it.

Kyo pointed to Sasuke's suitcase, lazily hanging in his hand.

"It's a suitcase, Kyo." Sasuke said as if he were highly aggravated, regardless of how much he desired he found it devastatingly hard to be cruel to his children; especially Kyo. Although Kyo was more hyperactive than Sasuke (his junior), he was more social and more direct, he reminded Sasuke of so many parts of himself-whereas Sasuke junior was silent and illusive, genuinely straying away from human contact which explained his absence at the moment.

Kyo's eyes opened wide as he smiled, like this was his greatest discovery. "Ohhh." he said blindly with the sweetest smile. He turned, pointing to the table. "Suitcase." he said, slapping it. Hinata giggled but it quickly ceased.

"That is a table." Sasuke said as if Kyo was supposed to know.

"Ohhh." he smiled, laughing. "That suitcase." he pointed to Sasuke's briefcase. "That table." he turned and slapped the table.

"That's right." Sasuke nodded as he began walking away.

"What that?"

It wasn't long before that, incidentally, that Hinata opened the door to the man she'd who's visit she had been both anticipating and dreading. She did want this, the training itself and personally she thought she needed it desperately. She had only hated it because she felt as though Sasuke would hate her for it. Even knowing that, she dressed herself in subtle clothes, which she would wear proudly as she stressed her aging body to the point of desired collapsing.

It almost felt like she was unprepared to see the rippling current that was Rip Dansei. She blushed, it was a guiltless blush for several reasons actually. The first being that it had been nearly three hours since Sasuke had left for work and his junior was in training, her only worry was Kyo who was happily playing in the nursery. The second was that every maid, nurse and sitter seemed to stop in their tracks, they were all halted by the specific sight of this man. Though the gossip of this new desire of Hinata's had spread amongst the staff of their home, they all had no idea how attractive the trainer would be, let alone that he would be male. Of course, Hinata knew well and so did Sasuke. It wasn't until now that she was at a loss of breath, just glancing at him. He stood tall, nearly taller than Sasuke with a muscular, classic shape that represented what Hinata thought to be chivalry and courage. His hair was shorter, unlike her husband's, cut decently and his eyes betrayed his innocent appearance.

Hinata (and everyone else for that matter) suddenly felt tragically underdressed.

"Mrs. Uchiha, you're even more radiant than I remembered." He grabbed her hand, shaking it but in a gentle, unequal fashion. Hinata didn't care at all, the contact seemed to ignite her insides.

"G-good morning...Mr. Dansei." Hinata responded, it took her a moment to even realize he was speaking to her.

"Oh please, it's nearly noon." He laughed, stepping inside the house without a formal invitation. Hinata watched his fine movements, he seemed to open yet so guarded and unexposed. "What a classy home." He gazed up, circumspecting the room with wide and somewhat impressed eyes. "But I bet that fancy, rich husband of yours maintains all these _antique commodities_." he said, running through his vocabulary to find a word to describe their home which was filled with strategetically placed junk.

"He has described it as filthy." Hinata spoke in such a low tone it could barely be heard. She was so amused really, her modesty overwhelmed her more human qualities. "This is actually the...the room we'll be using...to train."

Rip glanced up at her in some shock as he poked and fingered a miniature statue of a lonely samurai frozen in time and compacted into a priceless porcelain figurine. "Don't you have a room for training?"

"We have an entire training deck." Hinata didn't mean so appear so shallow, at times she forgot that the average person lacked those things she convened as everyday necessities. "...But our son...Sasuke uses it to train during the day. You see, he's seven and he's begun his training process so he must train very often...to please my husband." Here she was explaining every canyon of her life, well perhaps not every detail but much more than she would normally let on.

"Well isn't your family official." he responded, mood noticeably dropped and a hint of sarcasm showing through. "Well we can move this table and turn ..._this thing _around." He said, his hand hovering over a piece of art Sasuke had been given by a colleague as a gift for their anniversary. Hinata had only wondered what it was once before, after that she simply ignored it's existence but she had no doubt in her mind that it was worth more than the lot their home was on. It seemed to be a cross between a man laying on his side, ready to die-and a butterfly attempting to absorb the soul of a giraffe.

Their training went forward as thus, she did everything she was asked. The exercises were simple and she was pleased at her ability to do them so quickly and effortlessly. Even in her nearing middle-age shape, she could indeed manage to jump up two feet in the air and clap her hands over her head. She was elated, much of the feeling may have been her own falsified over-exaggeration of her excitement but she felt inspired nonetheless. She had even invited the man to come to dinner with her and her husband that night. The lord would be extremely upset, possibly already irritable from his stressful and trying day at his office; yet this sense of self gave Hinata the uncanny and temporary ability to do this with little remorse or thought for regret.

Just because she refused or lacked the mental capacity to care whether or not Sasuke felt abused or angered by her invitation, that didn't mean she hadn't anticipated his reaction. He came home that afternoon in a daze, dragging himself in the door and dropping his briefcase right there. He began unbuttoning his shirt before he'd even walked upstairs only to see this man sitting in his livingroom, the tiny and underdeveloped foot of his infant son grasped in the man's hand. Words did not fly out as marital counciling had advised against it, instead he smiled the most placid and ingenuine smile. Strangling his wife with his eyes and defacing her soul through his teeth.

Now here they sat, twenty minutes into an awkward dinner that took place down town, the same location at which they had an altercation during the period they'd been separated years ago. Sasuke sipped from a glass of red wine, the sophisticated neck of the glass was placed between his middle and ring finger as his lips made contact with the brim. He glanced about, his shoulders were just now beginning to uncurl as this had been his third glass. Hinata sat next to him with a ridiculous smile. a modest but adolescent smile. She continued to peer back and forth between Rip Dansei, who sat across from her and Sasuke who sat next to her, very closely at that. He was, After all, a possessive man. Rip, who had been working on his third or forth glass of red wine himself, elegantly ate the slab of steak that was in front of him. Hinata merely stared at him, fingering her autumn salad with her fork while Sasuke stabbed his broiled mesquite chicken and onions with his knife.

"Hinata does very well with her exersices, she's a natural." Rip spoke, bits of food still being processed in his mouth. Sasuke groaned, he was truly a disgusting creature, to him atleast. Hinata only saw quirky, adorable even. "She was built for gymnastics, I'm telling you. She's got the perfect body for it."

Sasuke raised a brow, he had a feeling he'd be doing this a lot for as long as this charade of a ordinary occurrence persists. "You've seen her body?"

All eyes around the table were him Sasuke's direction. Hinata's heart pounded at a ridiculous rate, in worry that Sasuke would frighten her new friend and he would never return. "Well, did you?"

"Well not entirely, but I'd be willing to bet it's a sight to see." Rip chuckled as if the poorly told joke was hilarious. A vein appeared on Sasuke's forehead, one he'd developed shortly after Kyo was born. There was just something hellish about raising one child who refused to speak and another who refused to be silent.

"No, it's not." He replied sternly. Rip stopped laughing, Hinata's eyes were pointed at her lap and Sasuke glared at the two of them. It was obvious that Sasuke wouldn't be happy until the entire dinner was finished in silence.

"Well damn." Rip turned, looking down at the watch on his wrist, which Sasuke noted to be "cheap" and worth relatively close to nothing. " I should be going, gotta open shop tomorrow." he chuckled uncomfortably, rising from his seat.

"Please stay." Hinata spoke. Sasuke's eyes darted to her as he was just starting to unwind at the idea that this asinine fool would be leaving. "We've ordered drinks already, it would be such a waste to let your wine just sit there." It wasn't quite the most valid excuse but it would work for this moment in time.

"Well, you know I never say no to free drinks." he laughed once again. "But I really should go." He pulled his coat from behind the chair he sat in and pulled it on. "It was just fantastic seeing you again, Hinata." Rip's hand rested on Hinata's shoulder for a moment and Hinata could feel her face beginning to burn. She was one to detect her own weaknesses with that damned blush of hers. "It was nice seeing you too, Mr. Uchiha."

With that having been said, he walked away and Hinata watched his back angrily as he walked out the door of that establishment. Sasuke laughed to himself menacingly, his plan had panned out well. Hinata's anger was just going to be another one of things he had to deal with. As if he were not used to her neurotic outbursts and silent streaks already.

"If it makes you happy, I'll drink his glass." Sasuke said in some sense of twisted and inconsiderate humor. "Well not really. I would never drink from the same cup as him." He reached across the table, grabbing the man's cup and dragging it over to his side. As soon as it was fixed on the edge, he gently fingered the bottom causing it to fall off the table anc crash to the floor, shattering glass in every direction. Startled patrons jumped and looked around to see what had fallen. "These damned table cloths can be quite cumbersome. They tend to be a bit slippery."

The calmness in his voice disgusted her.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Sasuke reached out, tugging on the aprons of a well dressed waitress. "I seem to have broken this glass on the floor, by accident of course."

The waitress peered down at the mess of crimson wine and broken glass at her feet. "Oh, I apologize." She had no reason to apologize, obviously. "Of course we'll have this mess cleaned immediately. The broken glass is free of charge, Mr. Uchiha." she hurried away into the kitchen, abandoning the table of elderly people she was attending to.

Sasuke had a way of mending the formality of things. He could turn the classiest eating establishment into a mess of blood-like liquids and shattered glass. He was repulsed by this life, he always had been yet he lived it so well. Even so that others would follow in his quirks and actions, if only to receive some of that carved from birth charm that he withheld. Even the glass that he'd broken was gratis, yet it was worth more than hundreds he was sure.

He smugly sipped from his own cup. "Feel no remorse, my darling. This night should have been about us from the beginning." He said in some guilt for his actions. "Besides, how can you be angry when we have each other?"

"I'm not angry." she responded and that was all she would give him.

"You seem angry, you've got your arms crossed and you're staring maliciously at your salad." he frowned.

"I'm not angry. I've just come to the realization that my husband would go to extreme lengths to escape the company of my personal trainer." She said. "I'm not as angry as I am disappointed in the maturity you've shown to me."

The wine he was drinking got caught in his throat as he suddenly felt he should scrutinize this situation further. "You think I've been immature?" He asked but it was more like a command.

"No." she replied, lowering her head submissively.

"Well of course you do. Perhaps I haven't used my best judgement." Hinata's head shot up faster than ever before. Sasuke just admitted to being wrong. Even repentively. Their marriage councilor was extremely tough on humility acceptance. As a result, Sasuke apologized and became quite quick to consider his own faults, for about a week. After the counciling stopped, Sasuke slowly reverted, as did Hinata.

"What?" her blood froze in her veins with anticipation.

"I should be more considerate. After all, this entire ordeal, as it may be; isn't about me. It's for your sake, so I should perhaps step aside and allow progress to take place. You do deserve that much." Sasuke nodded. Hinata still glanced around, unsure of what really just occurred in front of her face. Was he sincere or was this a mind game set up to make her feel sorry for having an opinion? Most likely, the latter. 


	3. Trial and Error

**Excuse my spelling please? :)**

The following day, Sasuke came home (on time, which was rare for him in his current day), opening his own door with his own key that was plucked naturally and instinctively from his own pocket of his own pants which were ordered from a shop in China and send to his own doorstep, which was paid for with his own money. Now, having owned all of these things, he began to unravel his caution. Well, Sasuke never really dropped his guard but for brief gradual moments away from the evils of big business, he allowed his eyes to drift away from his exact momentary mission-which was never at all difficult for someone like him.

The only thing different on this given day was that when he turned the key, coddled by the keyhole in the door, then pulled the hinge that would open the door he was not greeted by the average bland and quite miserable setting of the Uchiha household. Rather, his home was alive- "buzzing" even with the vivacious entities of another man. One who was foreign in his styles and repulsive in his mannerisms.

He found his wife and several of his best maids surrounding this disgusting figure, all clad in the same fashion ratio of track shorts to track jackets. A bit generous to the eyes for his taste, and by this far in the story I'm sure his character is developed enough to personify exactly what his "taste" is.

They all seemed to stop for a moment to acknowledge his entrance, then returned to laughing haughtily over Rip Dansei's repetitive and unsavory behaviors. Hinata alone stood up, holding her hands together in what appeared to be excitement, to greet her husband. He raised a brow critically as she pranced in his direction wearing only running shorts and a tank which barely covered her navel. Her entire body was covered in the thinnest film of sweat and her long, voluminous hair which was rarely ever bound was tied behind her head by a minuscule hair band.

"Sasuke, you're home." She smiled, a slight pants to her voice. "Rip and I were doing our work out and I thought it would be a nice treat for the girls if they got to work with him as well." She smiled coyly as if he were just supposed to accept that.

"Is your hair in a pony-tail?" He deflected her statement with an obvious question to reflect his true and utter disgust, he dared to gently tug the end of her pony-tail which was a bit below her shoulders before he drew his hand away, reluctantly rolling a thin layer of grease between his fingers. "And you're sweating." I whispered awkwardly. "I don't like it when you sweat, Hinata." 

She frowned, touching her own hair to either prove or disprove his allegations. "I apologize, I should try harder to look presentable for you."

He was unsure whether or not she was sarcastic. It didn't keep his interest anyways, his eyes were now locked on the strange man who was currently flirting with thirteen of his female house-keepers. And for a moment, just for a brief moment, he swore he locked eyes with him, challenging him even. But challenging what? His patience? His dominance? His nerve? Either way, he didn't like it. He didn't want any other man that didn't work for him feeling confident in his home, around his wife and children and maids and other things that he subsequently considered as property that he had earned through hardwork and reputation. Why present himself as any weaker than he really is in order to appease this foreigner's interests? He would walk about as if he weren't here, just to satisfy his wife-or more her expectations.

"I'm going to retire to the bedroom." He spoke in a low voice which was still audible from where Rip sat. He glanced at the pair for a moment, one the was undeniably perceived above the muses of the quantity of beautiful young women who surrounded him. "You can join me whenever you feel fit." He said after he received the response he desired.

Hinata narrowed her vision. It was almost disappointing that this behavior was so thin and suspicious to her. Then again, in marriage most things are revealed. "Are you sure, my dear?" She questioned concerned, gripping each side of his suit jacket.

"It's fine." He replied, using her grip to pull her closer into a quick, short-lived kiss. "I'll call for you if I ever get lonely." With that he walked away, journeying up the stairs like nothing mattered to him. She couldn't help but stare and watch as he walked away, so easily.

Rip could clearly sense her disappointment as she looked like a lost and betrayed dog left by it's owner on the side of a highway. "Ladies!" He clapped energetically. "We should all shower now! It's very important to cleanse after a good work out, you know! It's essential to maintain a healthy disposition! Now I expect that you all have your own individual showers?" He asked, expecting nothing less from Sasuke Uchiha. He even kept the best servants.

"Oh yes, they're very nice." One of the younger ones chimed happily. "Perhaps you could join me?" She hinted flirtatiously and laughed as did the other young women.

"Let's save that for another time, shall we?" He responded with the same humor, quickly shooing the girls up the stairs. They all ran up like children, laughing and poking each other with gossip and chatter.

As soon as the room was barren and hollow except for the solid measures of mass that existed as himself and the woman before him, he seemed to turn onto a serious sense. "Hinata, you seem upset. Is there a problem? Have I disturbed you at all?" He prodded, Hinata shook her head immediately with a complimentary smile.

"Not at all, in fact, thank you for...your time." She nodded graciously. She often considered others over herself and only herself during certain random bursts of confidence. But this wasn't one of those situations, here and now she only desired to be laying alone in her bed next to the outline of her husband's form as he lingered in his office. It was a dreary existence but atleast she knew she was in his favors, wherein she felt secure.

She felt his presence shadowing over her back, his space consumed the air behind her. She only turned slightly, her neck colliding with the heat radiating from his masculine hand as it grasped her should firmly as the other hand followed suit. Her breath was steady, just barely and she seemed to be calm although the situation, she could sense, was growing much deeper than that.

"Hinata, please don't let him see you like this." Her brow raised in scrutiny of his advice. "This behavior leads to controlling relationships such as this one."

"Is it all that obvious?" She asked as if it were a statement, somewhat sarcastically and somewhat drenched in shame.

"Well, obvious is one thing. We did have television and newspapers in my town." That was when her heart stopped. He knew. Of course, portions of their affairs had gone public especially after they were sighted at a nightclub then once again after they were subjected to marriage counciling. However, the media seemed to exaggerate the situation in their favor. As far as the village knew, there was no affair at all, it was merely a misunderstanding. There were no marital problems, no controlling situations, no abuse. It was all so ...glamorous. "You don't have to feel ashamed, it was none of your fault. A guy like Sasuke, want what they want when they want it and don't care who they have to harm in the process to get it. You're far too delicate for that, you just fell victim." She was shocked as he rambled on in his sense of righteousness and confidence.

"And you know all of this exactly?" She measured. "Sasuke and I simply fell into a rut. We got out of it and moved on, the results of which are out sons." She stated, escaping his sweet touch.

"And, what does that prove?" He chuckled in arrogance.

She blushed slightly, shaking her head in repentance for it. "You simply don't have ...err relations with someone you don't love." She said, feeling accomplished.

"Don't we?" He laughed once again which only angered Hinata slightly. "I mean, come on. Really? That guy is like a stone box."

"I love that stone box." She responded without urge to replace her words. She immediately blushed after but it was worth it.

"See, it's that capability to love even someone like that - soulless, selfish, unattractive (his words may have been persuaded slightly by bias) and jagged man," He whispered roughly to the back of her head. "that makes me find you so damn attractive."

Hinata basically jumped out of her skin, turning around and covering her mouth as if his statement was just foul. It was foul, it was wrong and evil and deceitful and sinful and common and average and unsurprising in it's nature. This type of thing, she'd had enough of long ago. This type of this threatened her marriage more than anything before. Rich people, they have no worries, they have everything they'll ever need. The only thing that could possibly tear their blind relationship apart is the above average not-just-everyday deceit.

"Please don't say that." She whispered, sounding out of breath without need for exercise. "We're just to the point in our lives where ...where we're finally just getting used to each other...well without needing someone else to fill the gaps for us. I don't want this."

"Well, that's all fine." He just continued to grin that way. "I respect that, your faithfulness. I can't say I won't stop trying though. I was never one to give up easily." He shrugged, pulling his track jacket from the sock hook on the wall.

"It's not worth it, Rip. I'm...I'm so old. Surely you'll want a younger woman...men always do." She seemed to trail off in a depressive way.

"Honestly, when I read your story over in my home town, I saw your photo and thought you were -ya know- overrated, not as beautiful as you'd been perceived. Average. You know how the bulk of it goes with celebrities." He spoke as he made his way out, Hinata's eyes never left his. "I also assumed your personality was thin, narrow and undesirable overall. You're pampered, you're literally a princess. But when I met you in person, I later realized that...that there were so many dimensions to you other than your press face. You're thoughtful and nurturing as well as stunningly beautiful. I figured, now that you're in my grasp, you could love that ass upstairs, why shouldn't I have the same chance?"

Those were his final words as he exited via the door, leaving Hinata in a sight changing haze that drove her to near insanity. Only after a few moments did she compose herself then choose to leave the room lest she look exposed in front of the house keepers.

To her surprise, Hinata found her husband exactly where he said he would be. His bedroom, and he wasn't up to no-good as she had assumed as well. He was reading; not stock reports, not business estimates, not tax filings. He was reading a book, just a book, a fairly large book but it was still a simple book.

Hinata smiled sweetly after entering with her back turned to him. He peered over his book for a moment, mentally cackling at the fact that she came back. "So I assume you had a lovely conversation with Mr. Dansei." Sasuke mocked in a serious tone.

"Well I wouldn't say lovely." she responded with a pleasant sigh.

"Anything you care to talk about." His suspicious, less immature side seemed to peak through. He didn't put anything past that so-called trainer.

"Nothing at all." She smiled to him and began peeling the sweaty clothes from her body as she observed herself in the mirror, mentally displeased by her generally aged and withering reflection but not showing it as much.

There, at that moment, his wife who was covered in dried, visible sweat with her hair bundled on top of her head and her entire body exposed to the skin, was she the most beautiful to him. She turned around, spotting the admiration in his gaze and blushed. Over 10 years of marriage and she still blushed in front of him. "Sasuke." she cooed meekly, holding her burning cheek.

He peered down at his pants which had inadvertently exposed his unit, excited in it's secretive form. He, himself, almost felt embarrassment. Almost. "Perhaps we truly are getting old. I'm even losing my control over this." He placed his book down to openly grab his stiff member and gently shake it for emphasis, which Hinata found to be very middle-school-esque of him but still amusing. "Tell me, my wife, what's next to go?" He asked over dramatically with an exaggerated flip of his long ebony hair.

"Would you like me to help you with that?" Hinata blushed, drawing her eyes away from his enlarged body part so not to show her unlady-like thoughts.

"Absolutely." He said, sitting up and practically throwing his book over the edge of the bed. "I was only pretending to read anyway." Hinata smiled, speed-walking over to the bed where he sat. Her nude feet shuffled against the floor which caused her to laugh, it reminded her of her delicate childhood-before the hell-like part.

She sat on the bed and he pulled her weight so that she sat on top of his crossed legs. He kissed her deeply, the kiss that seemed to have a diet of both passion instinct-constantly demanding for more which he supplied. Their tongues slid over the other's, applying pressure and exchanging animalistic desire.

"I can't believe we didn't have sex like this earlier." Sasuke interjected between a heated and rushed kisses to Hinata's flushed cheek.

"Well...the situation was different then." Hinata sighed thoughtfully as her body composition was raptured away by Sasuke's tongue.

"I don't even remember sex before rough sex." He muttered. There was always a behavioral pattern with Sasuke and any woman would agree. He becomes - the average man - during sex. Not to say that his performance was average, his performance was above average...simply freakish, nearly painful. To say, it was so far above average that it didn't actually humanly make sense. He was typical in a sense that his mental self returned to that of a 14 year old boy, the same way the minds of other men did. He would make dirty jokes and comparisons that weren't quite so funny as much as they were disgusting and disturbing.

At this Hinata merely sighed, he missed the point of her statement. "Well...I wouldn't call it that." she whispered passively. She didn't want to take this moment from him anyhow.

"Well technically it's not rough sex until you've done anal." He grunted right before a very stressed and hard groan from the pressure of his wife's thigh against his.

Hinata blushed furiously. She had no mind to respond to that. It's not that she was above it, she was simply embarrassed by the comment itself.

"Oh my God!" Sasuke shouted deeply, his voice seeming to scrape the bottom of his throat in it's severity. Even in their current position, it seemed a little over-kill. She mimicked his excitement by sighing in a somewhat sense of ecstacy. It was only when she realized that his rapid movement ceased that she opened her eyes to glance at his expression. For that half of a portion of a second, it was in sheer shock and seriousness.

"The door is open." He nearly shouted then again, "Hinata, the door is open." he cried jumping up and throwing Hinata's body off the bed unintentionally, then running over to the door of their large colonial furnished bedroom and shutting the door. In the doorway were the awaiting and judging eyes of their two young sons. Kyo simply stared, the essence of pain was evident in his deep frown and stark eyes. The younger Sasuke merely stood there with a serious, yet unwaveringly negligent as if he'd seen this many times before.

The door slammed shut and Sasuke placed his palm over his face, which was flaring red and Hinata was sure it wasn't his blush finally showing. He breathed for a moment before opening the door again, this time only exposing his head and not the full package. "Go to bed! Now!" He yelled at his highest ability in all seriousness. Hinata stood completely still.

She was terrified by Sasuke whenever he just spoke to her in a serious way, here he was shouting the loudest he possibly could at his two young children, a shout they'd never once heard before. Their hair had to be frightened white for that.

As he slammed the door again, the sound of his children's sandal clad feet could be heard scurrying to each of their individual bedrooms. Sasuke slapped his face, shaking his head in remorse for his own stupidity.

"I _can't _believe I didn't close the door." He groaned as he slowly walked over to the bed and sat in that 'serious thinking about my life' slouch.

Hinata felt guilty, since she was the one who'd left the door open in the first place. What advice could she offer him though? Well, what advice would he accept from her? He thought he was smarter than her inevitably so her attempts were futile.

"Well...Sasuke..it's a very common ... a very common thing...for children to see their parents..." She suggested modestly.

"I know that." He sighed as of it meant nothing to him, laying back down on his back. "Now come on, he doesn't like to go down unless he gets what he wants."

"What are you talking about?" Hinata queried fearfully.

"I'm talking about my dick, Hinata." It just made her blush for that he said that word, since she'd never heard it come from his mouth before. He was always too mature, too official to ever mutter that word. Even with his temporary theory of mind detachment, he'd never openly said it. It was always something childish, something he was above but perhaps she was making too much out of a single utterance. It didn't really matter in the end, did it?

"Don't stare." He frowned, she shook her head after realizing that her eyes had been transfixed on his "dick" for several seconds. "Come on, you started this." The snapped, pointing with his index finger to his erect penis.

Hinata sighed reluctantly as she positioned herself on top of him, the entrance was uncomfortable as it always was. With someone of his stature, you never really get used to the entrance.

"You know, normally I like to be on top, but tonight I'm looking for more gratification, less work." he rambled as his lower-energy thrusts synced with her movement.

Now somewhere during the course of this sequence, Sasuke grew bored of the habitually modest rhythm of his wife. Eventually it became less of them having sex and more of him having sex with him since he grasped her bottom possessively as his hips jerked up and down which caused the constant sound that drove Hinata crazy to no end.

Her eyes rolled over to face the insides of her skull as her heart twisted in the wrenching spirit of pure lust. It was only a matter of minutes, which seemed like moments to Hinata, that he had her crashing down to every level of rapturous delight.

"Come on, we're done already?" I huffed, annoyed by her low tolerance to any sensation in general.

She blushed deeper and deeper by the moment. "Well I-" as soon as she spoke there came a rapping at the door, a rapping of which did not originate from a sorrowful raven but by a raven-haired young boy.

"Mommie?" His meek voice carried through the oak-crafted door. Sasuke glared at Hinata, shaking his head in request of her not to respond.

"Yes, dear?" she answered. Sasuke mentally slapped himself, she was so soft.

"Can I come sleep with you? Sasuke told me a scary story." His weak little voice struck every nerve that composed her heart and soul. She slowly got out of bed, being sure to robe herself. Sasuke, though somewhat forced by morality, did the same.

"I bet he did." She responded, knowing how Sasuke took after his father. She opened the door, showing the small boy in. He carried with him a stuffed dinosaur which he'd had since he was born and his thumb lodged in his mouth. Sometimes it seemed like it was permanently there.

She picked him up and carried him to the bed, placing him neatly in the middle. Sasuke continued to glare at Hinata for much long after their son was tucked in and far under the line of sleep.

"Why?" He whispered harshly through the thickness of the dark much after he was sure Kyo was asleep.

"I didn't want him to be scared." she responded. Sasuke was just stopped by the fact that she answered.

"And now we care? We've been letting baby-sitters do our jobs as parents thus far, why change that? That's what we pay them for." He hissed.

"Sasuke, you shouldn't be so insensitive." She replied patiently.

"Don't feel compelled to self-righteousness as a result of what that low-brow gym chimp told you." He sneered. She wasn't aware that he'd heard that. She thought they were whispering.

"What are you talking about?" She asked as if she didn't know, as if she were ignorant. It was the very first lie she'd ever intentionally told him in all their marriage, the first lie of which was based on her salvation and not his pride.

Her first lie.

To be continued...

**So, I just wanted to say, in case you guys didn't know. I love love love love love love love love (love) love my readers and reviewers. After some soul searching I've realized that you guys mean a lot to me, even with a few rough reviews in the bunch, I just wanna say that you guys are so awesome and so thoughtful. It takes a great heart and true integrity to take such an advantage as the ability to be anonymous and use it kindly and respectfully. So you all are amazing people. I also realized that you guys read my stories but dammit, I never read any of yours. So leave the links to your fics in the reviews and I will read and review them all! You guys are just that cool. I may get a bit jealous though since I guarantee that 99% of you guys are better writers than me xD but I'll bear through it and be a stronger lazyhappylucky for it. **

**I also updated my other story, The Branded tonight so if you haven't read it you should read it :) No shameless self-promotion there at all.**

**Once again, you guys rule and I love ya'll :)**

**lazyhappylucky**


	4. Our House

**Please excuse typing mistakes. I never make spelling mistakes, only typing errors :)**

Sasuke's eyes grew thin, thinner than the average since most people in the village carried the same sort of genetic eye formation. He analyzed her very existence, the glare reminded Hinata of a rougher time in their marriage. He would constantly place her under intense scrutiny so as to keep her from ever lying, it was only to this recent event that he began to question his strength as far as this marriage goes. She lied to him, and he was sure...well nearly sure. It didn't matter at all whether he knew for sure, he'd soon find out if she was lying. He was highly skilled in reading people and right now, he was reading her with a brand of loose inquisition.

"What am I talking about?" He repeated in a calm, perusive manner. "What could I be talking about?"

"I have no idea." She whispered in reply, drawing her vision away from his. She didn't even know why she was lying to him this way, she had nothing to hide. She'd done nothing wrong yet she bled lies through her narrow tongue.

"Really?" He prodded, his glare construed and contorted to be deeper and more intrusive than he could muster as of late.

"Mhmm." She nodded, only exposing herself to his sight for a mere moment.

He snorted imposingly. She became slightly annoyed by this mind game, did he mean all of this humorously? Did he find this funny? "The wage of lying is death." He spoke as if to be ironic. "Here you are, lying to me as your infant son lays next to you."

Hinata's heart suddenly grew heavier, there was a level of truth to that but she couldn't admit it to herself. "Sasuke, I'm tired." She moaned in superficial fatigue.

"Fine. No need to feel mortified." Sasuke concluded, yawning himself. Hinata sighed in relief, praying he would stop interrogating her from there. "Nothing wrong with being a thoughtful person. It's more than I can say for myself."

"What do you mean?" Hinata met eyes with him once again, concerned about his last statement and how transparent it was and whether or not it worked to her advantage.

"According to Rip Dansei, you're a thoughtful person." Sasuke mocked, unknowing of what Hinata was asking.

"Oh yes." Hinata nodded in agreement. "He's a kind man."

"I suppose." Sasuke replied lazily. "Did he say anything else? Anything more incriminating?" He asked once more. Hinata's heart skipped a beat, having thought this was over.

"No, I've told you, Sasuke, he has no interest in...someone my age." She sighed. Sasuke grew irritated at her self-deprecation but it didn't distract him from the point of this conquest.

"Well, don't think I won't kill him." He seemed to say with his breath as if this wasn't news to him at all. "Well I haven't said that in five years." He noted sarcastically.

Hinata stared at him though his eyes were already closed now and he was already half consumed by sleep. She exhaled slowly, running over in her mind what he could possibly have meant by that although the meaning was entirely clear. She finally laid her head down, shut her eyes and attempted to sleep. It wasn't a long journey, as odd as it sounded. She felt so alert and alarmed by Sasuke's cryptic words, but they also exhausted her.

"Hinata." his rusty and abused voice murmured her name, she attempted to ignore it through the thick rouse of sleep but no such luck, he shook her gently so to not wake up Kyo. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Yes?" she responded.

"How did you feel when I..." His voice was so shallow, so gentle, a tone that Hinata had never heard before. "..ya know?" Hinata swallowed, her throat growing dry out of reluctance to speak.

"When you had a relationship...with another woman?" Hinata reiterated, she could almost taste Sasuke's disdain towards those words.

"I was trying to avoid saying it in front of Kyo." He murmured in return. Hinata mentally slapped herself, she was so "thoughtful" yet she neglected to acknowledge the presence of her youngest son. "All the things I wish I'd never heard my father say. I didn't hate him when he was alive...I only hate him now because I want someone to blame for myself. I think I may be starting to see my own actions...from the outside." Hinata remained completely silent, her heart even began to beat slowly and quietly. She was experiencing a loss of words, what could she say? "I guess I'm going through that stage, 31, nearing middle aged. My father died at 41, so when I see him in the mirror, I can only think of how I may have 10 years left. I spent 31 years of my life doing all the wrong things. It's not like you can't relate...well I know you've never cheated on me before..." He seemed to lose his thought. Hinata scrutinized the situation, what exactly did he mean? Was he hinting something.

"No, I've never been unfaithful to you, My Lord." she felt the need to say. Sasuke became confused at what title she'd given him, she even caught this mistake since she seemed to breathe heavier.

"Don't feel compelled to call me that." He said. "I can't even believe I ever made you refer to me as that."

"It was really something I was just taught from birth. Someone that is older than you or ...above you...well you just refer to them as a God." Hinata spoke softly.

"Your father was pretty hard on you too, huh?" He asked as if he didn't already know. Hinata's father was the essence of Sasuke's character 5 years ago. He was and is rude, thoughtless, thankless and repetitively lustful in all the wrong ways. Hinata sighed deeply, she hated to be captivated in thoughts of her father, of her family in general. She hated to think about her mother, a slave to her culture, or her cousin who was trapped in his own abilities. And her...well she was worst of them all.

"Yeah." she replied simply, staring into the darkness as if to stare into her past.

"So how did it feel?" He rolled over with a grunt so that he was no longer facing her.

"Hmm?" Hinata moaned, having already forgotten what he said and eyes heavy from exhaustion.

"How did it feel when I...you know what I did."

"You know what you did...so why don't you just say it?" Hinata let slip, as soon as the last word escaped her mouth she pressed her palm to her lips. Was it the sleep or her current state that made her judgement so retarded?

Sasuke felt the bite from that, he pondered in his own mind a response that wouldn't make him sound even more insignificant. "Shame? Pride?" He shrugged. Hinata nodded, feeling somewhat good about his response.

"Well, it felt awful." She said, trying to delete what she'd just said from the conversation all together. "I felt betrayed...even though...even though I know you never wanted to be married to me."

Sasuke rolled back over in mortification. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you told me so." she responded half-mindedly.

"I lied." that's all he said, that was all he said before he rolled back over and went to sleep. Hinata ran those two simple words over in her head all night. Was he lying at that moment just to satisfy her curiosity or had he lied from the beginning? Most likely both, he was a notorious liar. The only downside to that information was also knowing that he was too believable. It was difficult to tell what was a lie and what was true, often he'd tell lies and fulfil their falsehood so well that they became true. So it was best to simply accept his words, perhaps if you believed them enough, he would make them come true.

The next morning, Hinata slept late, very late, until twelve. To her surprise, she woke up with her son next to her. His father had disappeared, of course, but Kyo remained. He laid there awake, silent but awake. Hinata nudged him gently. "Kyo, why are you still here, Honey?" she asked.

"I couldn't sleep last night cuz Daddie and you were talking forever." He whined, rolling around on the bed.

Hinata bit her thumb nail in hopes that he hadn't heard everything they said. Even if he was too young to understand, Kyo often told all of the nurses anything he learned. Of course, the nurses all knew what went on in the Uchiha household, hence why the news catches on to all of their home-life problems so easily. "What exactly did you hear Daddie and Mommy say, Kyo?"

"I don't know, Mommy. Something bout' flench flies." He rubbed his eyes in tire.

"Flench flies?" Hinata giggled. "You mean french fries?"

"That's what I said, Mommy." Kyo yawned. "You need better listening."

Hinata smiled at the product of her livelihood. While Sasuke junior was a recluse, very closed and cynical as far as friends and confidence; Kyo was an open book. She often wondered where he got that from. Obviously, Sasuke was just a clone of his father. They carried the same indifferent, malicious expression. They both sneered in the face of adversity and would refuse to do anything they didn't feel like doing. Naturally, they both had a strange obsession with three things; training, money, and death. Kyo, however, was very alive. He seemed to buzz, almost radiate with a drive to live and explore.

She got up, moving away from the messy bed and smiling at the picture she saw. Kyo and his tiny body being swallowed by a sea of sheets. "I'll tell you what, you can sleep as long as you like." She told him as she grabbed her silken robe from the wrack and put it on.

"Pinally!" Kyo raised his hands, sitting up and falling back into the pillows. "I can gets some wrest."

Hinata laughed, exiting the room and closing the door silently behind herself. As soon as she stepped out, her feet realizing just how cold a wooden floor can be in the morning, she met eyes with her eldest son Sasuke. She was almost struck with fear, he was so quiet and so damn similar to his father. "Good morning, Sasuke." she pretended to smile in joy but what was actually a twisted sense of fear.

"You know that man who Dad hates?" Kyo muttered.

Hinata blushed. "What?" she asked, feeling quite embarrassed at just how much her son knew. It wasn't Kyo she had to worry about.

"You know the man who all the baby-sitters love."

Hinata smiled in utter humiliation in front of her son. "Mr. Dansei?"

"Sure..." Sasuke rolled his little eyes. "He's downstairs. It's getting pretty awkward." he groaned.

"Oh...well I'll be down in a moment." she said.

"Okay, whatever." he mumbled in reply, walking down the north hall alone. Hinata raised a brow. Why would he be going down there? She had rarely been down there herself, it was dark and dusty and she had a conspiracy that it was haunted as well.

"Sasuke, where are you going?"

He turned around, annoyed. "Training, studying, anything that gets me out of this awkward situation." he droned on. Hinata pouted, feeling a bit irritated by Sasuke's constant negligence when it came to her. He just lacked care, or rather had no desire to care.

Nevertheless, Hinata felt a certain disgust to missing the opportunity to see Rip. She knew full well what he'd probably say and probably do but deep within herself, she desired that attention. It fueled her ego, it gave her solid proof that she retained a portion of attraction that atleast one man couldn't resist and she wanted to see how long it would last. She got washed, dressed (lightly dressed by dressed) and made her way down the stairs.

Like she had expected, Rip was swarmed by young women who worked around the house. She hadn't realized how many there were, she may have even seen some new faces. Even having all of these attractive women surrounding him, Hinata's face was like a magnet to Rip's eyes. They darted over to her as soon as she arose on the scene. He smiled, motioning for her to come forward through the thick forest of aroused women. Hinata did just that, attempting to get through with little hope.

"Ladies, ladies." Rip stood up and shouted over the crowd. "I know we're all so enthused about physical activity." He laughed sarcastically. "But, I need to pay more attention to the one who signs my checks-and since Mr. Uchiha is not here-I suppose his wife has a check book as well." Each and every chuckled and flipped their hair and batted their eyes. Hinata sighed humbly, she couldn't condemn their advances. They were young, unfortunately she never got the opportunity to admire a man as deeply as they did. She hit puberty, she learned about sex, she got engaged, then she got married. There was simply just no in-between period for her so how could she blame them?

As soon as the wave of girls seemed to melt away into two or three, then none. Hinata stood in front of Rip as he sat back down with an eager and tired grin. "Finally a moment alone" He grabbed her wrists and drew her closer to him.

She swatted him away and frowned.

"Come on, I'm not hurting anyone." he smirked arrogantly.

"I've told you," she turned around, sighing over and over just to maintain a steady heart rate. "I love my husband."

He sighed as well, annoyed by her repetitive nature. "You know, when I first came into this, I thought I'd just win your love with my limitless charm and culture. Now I figure that I'll just jump onto this undeniable sexual attraction between us until it becomes something else." He ranted, saying this like it meant nothing to him.

"It may not be wise to inform me of all your intentions." she exhaled exasperated.

"Whatever." He bounced up in a careless fashion, his voice sounding like that of a college student. "I'm bored of this, if you want me to stop pursuing you, that's your choice. Now I wont fraternize with you like we're _friends _or something other, let's get right down to what I came here for." He clapped. He moved to the great room where there was much more space to move around. Hinata stood there with her arms folded, glaring at his back.

"Feel free to follow me, I won't propose to you in the living room." he taunted, Hinata sneered in anguish but followed him nevertheless. They both stood there awkwardly, Hinata pouted rebelliously. "Alright, touch your toes." he commanded. Hinata glared at him once more, fearful of his motives. "Fine, I'll stand in front of you." He suggested. She still seethed indecently. "Fine, I'll turn around, is that okay? Can I look at the wall?"

Hinata nodded cautiously. Rip smiled and turned around as he promised. Hinata carefully bent over, feeling a bit of mass under her belly rolling up and providing resistance to her efforts. Her fingers were just inches from coming in contact with her toes. The moment before they touched, her entire body came slamming to the floor. This would only be the second time she embarrassed herself in front of life-changing company. She yelped ineffectively and held her thigh, fingers nearly piercing the area at which she felt pain.

Rip stood there defiantly. "Now that you're in screeching pain, can I turn around?" Hinata only responded with a short breathed groan. "I'll take that as a 'I surrender myself to you, Rip.'" He smiled humorously, everything was a joke to him.

He turned around, kneeling over to examine her condition. Her expression reflected sheer pain and her face was now completely red. He grimaced at her pain, feeling relieved that it wasn't him. As he attempted to touch her thigh, she drew away from him, shaking her head even in severe pain.

"Oh come on, you're hurt and you won't even let me touch you? What are you?" Rip spat conceitedly.

Hinata stood still apologetically, allowing Rip to approach her fully. His warm, firm fingers reached to place themselves on her smooth and distinguished thigh. Hinata held her breath as she felt the pain that pulsed through every nerve in her body slowly subside.

"You may have pulled a muscle, you should have stretched first." He spoke warmly and quietly as he rubbed her thigh religiously.

"You could have said that." she replied bitterly. "What should I do? Should I call down the nurse?"

"Don't bother her." He answered. "Where I'm from, we don't have live-in doctors and nurses to come running whenever we fall. We handle these things ourselves."

Hinata pierced him with her eyes. He was so dignified it was repulsive. "So, what should I do?" she repeated frustratedly.

"Well, back home we have a little massage for muscle pain." He said. Hinata continued to give him a filthy look, suspicious of everything and anything he could and would possibly say. "Listen, I said I've stopped pursuing you, didn't I? This is all a part of the training, we'll do this once then we won't have to do it again, understand?"

Hinata nodded in no haste and emanating a deep rooted grudge.

"Alright, here we go." He exhaled, taking her bare foot into his hands and squeezing in certain areas. He slowly applied pressure to small portions of her flesh at a time, moving up her leg to her knee to her thigh. Hinata breathed rhythmically, shutting her eyes to embrace the relief. The situation was...immoral and improper but...she was a woman, a human woman. She at times lost herself, she promised herself this wouldn't be one of those times. "Feels good?" Hinata blushed at that question but nodded nonetheless.

He knelt over her, her thigh in his hand and under captivation. She looked into his eyes as he stared through her head. There was such fire in the distance between them that Hinata's heart felt heated to the point of explosion. "And you're telling me, you don't feel any of this?" he smirked in that same defiant and doubtful way. Hinata nodded once again without second thought.

"Any of what exactly?" she mocked.

"This..." he leaned closer to her, nuzzling his lips against the flesh of her chin. She immediately sat up, pushing him away instinctively. "Alright alright alright. Can't blame a guy for trying." he calmed her with a snicker. "Alright, now on all fours." He made a motion for her body to revolve with his index finger.

"No." she responded loudly.

"Do you want your thigh to hurt forever? Now, come on, turn around, I gotta get the back." He stood on his knees and Hinata unenthusiastically did as he asked. He smiled, being only inches away from her backside which was so tauntingly close to his waste line."Now, I'm gonna warn you. This may feel really good."

Hinata arched her back without need for stimulation, she found his words to be so intoxicating and promising, she didn't need his fingers to coax her. Both of his hands lightly grazed the skin of her thigh, so much that she felt herself beginning to excrete heat.

"Damn, you're shaking like a fish." He laughed. "As if that _lord of sex _Sasuke Uchiha never touches you like this." he teased and Hinata responded the same way any woman would. She embraced and absorbed his advances, there was no need to fight them, it didn't benefit her at all. She didn't intend to let this go on for much longer, he'd made it clear that he no longer wanted anything from her, this was the first and last time he'd ever be touching her, there was no crime in enjoying it.

The front door rustled and came alive, swinging open ceremoniously as it did. Luckily, they separated before the light from the bright day outside could fill the room. Hinata turned around in pure shock as Rip jumped away from her, or rather he was threw himself away very violently but still jumped up to catch himself before humiliation could catch him.

Sasuke's eyes reflected a mind full of scrutiny and irrationality. Hinata shook in fear as his eyes locked onto her. She quickly scrambled to her feet, dusting herself off. She wouldn't incriminate herself anymore than she already had. It was smart of her, the things rambling around in Sasuke's mind were inhumane and satanic.

He stepped closer to Rip Dansei who stood his ground without a hint of falter. As soon as they were mere inches away and as soon as the grinding of Sasuke's teeth could be heart, he doubled his fists by his sides. "What the hell is going on in my house?" he growled.

Rip mirrored his murderous expression. "Nothing, it was a simple exercise. Nothing more."

Sasuke analyzed his words, searching like a police dog for any lack of confidence or slight tremor. "I'm not stupid, I know what I saw."

"What did you see?" He asked with a boastful smirk.

"I'm not feeding into this." Sasuke shook his head, remembering the conversation he'd had with Hinata the night before.

"What's the harm? Tell me what you saw."

Sasuke shut his eyes and reopened them resistantly. "Get out of my house." He spoke calmly.

"Why?" Rip tilted his head, looking at his watch too momentarily to have seen anything. "I've still got about two hours left."

"I said get out." He shouted, his voice erupting and causing the house to shake. It remained in Hinata's ears as if to reawaken a certain fear she once held for him.

Rip shook his head, giving off the impression that he was looking down on the prodigy. He then, without a single utterance, stepped up to the door and showed himself out. When the door shut behind him, Sasuke exploded inside. He clenched his teeth together, yelling as loud as he possibly could without it escaping his lips, and with that he turned around and punched the wall-this time only leaving some cracks and punctured wallpaper. Then he began to walk into the kitchen past a certain shelf of cups he decided he had remembered to be quite offending when his grandfather gave them to him on his death bed. He grabbed it, unbolting the entire shelf from the wall and slamming it down to the floor. Several of the cups shattered, others were crushed under the weight of the antique oaken shelf which had been passed down through 4 generations.

He then turned sharply to Hinata, pointing at her with a death-worthy look. "I don't want him in my house." he roared. As he stomped away, he called out to every nurse and maid in the kitchen. "I don't want him in my house around my wife or around my children." he yelled, warning all the women in the house. "If you want to see him, you can get the hell out." he barked and stomped his way up the stairs. Hinata knew that every nurse would obey him, most of their help around the house (the men as well though they're rarely talked about) were foreigners who had very few family left and depended on their small, minuscule jobs just for shelter.


	5. Sin and Punishment

That night, she didn't bother to enter into his presence. She sat near Kyo in his bedroom as he slept sweetly. She almost had intentions of reading him a story until he slept, but by the time she'd selected a book to read him he was fast asleep. Now the entire thing was just an excuse. Still, she sat there and stared at his infinitely innocent soul as his lungs heaved up and down. Hours later, she also slept in that upright position and dreamt of blank slates and scentless alcohol.

Unfortunately, this didn't last long. Before she knew it, Kyo had jumped out of bed and shaken her to wake, simply to acknowledge that he was - indeed - going to eat cereal again for breakfast. For the 3rd time this week. She nodded half heartedly as he ran down the stairs, nearly slipping in excitement. With a sigh, she walked over to his bed and placed herself upon it. So much satisfaction came with snuggling into the sheets of an innocent splice of your own identity. It smelled of him as well.

There was something sickeningly similar about Kyo's scent when compared to his father's. Every Uchiha had a specific smell, one that resembled the last with a slight variation. This was the true blood trait. It was a deep, thick aroma consisting of some Roman emperor and smug insufficiencies that were displayed as perfection. She sometimes wondered if she smelled the same.

In that instant, she recalled the afternoon before. What had happened? She barely remembered. Her mind was plagued with blurred images of Sasuke, images so blurred that they had the tendency to transform and as she stared deeply into the ceiling, she found herself staring into the intoxicating eyes of Rip Dansei.

"I'm a horrible wife." She said, holding her face with a sigh. Realizing she probably looked unpresentable and disturbed, she got up from her son's bed. "Today is not yesterday. Today is it's own day." She whispered to herself, leaving the room and shutting the door carefully as not to make a sound. The sound of her own footsteps made her sick to her stomach, the betrayal that she had fostered within her own mind made her feel so ...unworthy.

When she found the door to her own bedroom, she subconsciously opened it without a knock or invitation. She did this because, well it was nine, and she was sure that Sasuke had already gone to work. Much to her surprise, he sat wearily on the bed. He didn't even bother to glance in her direction when she'd opened the door. He sat on the side of their bed, leaning on his own knee and rubbing his eyes with one hand - in boxer shorts at that.

"S-Sasuke?" Hinata knocked on the side of the threshold, irrelevantly since she had already entered the room. He glanced up at her, she found that his eyes were both red and swollen while the rest of his face leaned to a mossier color of green. He ignored her call; however, and walked over to a wrack where his newly dry-cleaned work suits hanged. He blindly tugged one from a bar and proceeded to get dressed.

"You're sick." She spoke solemnly. "You shouldn't work today."

Even as she continued to speak, he ignored her. He did hear her, he wasn't suffering from some auditory impairing disease. He just chose not to acknowledge her existence, she would only make things worse - she always made things worse...

"Sasuke...w-whatever you think happened..." She sighed, beginning to shake excessively much like she did when she was younger. "...I..I didn't do...w-what you think I did." She didn't know how much longer she could talk like this before she simply began to cry. He threw her a monetary look, just for a second then continued to get dressed.

Just as she thought her heart would succumb to his influence, he began to speak.

"Hinata, his face was in your ass." He responded in monotone.

"It was just an exercise." Hinata mumbled defensively.

"I know it was just an exercise." He snapped bitterly.

Hinata's heart sank as she stood there, still shaking. He seemed to cease his act of dressing, now he ironed his collared shirt on the bed with his palms, going over the same spot several times. "B-but...why-"

"Because you're stupid." He barked without even having to hear what she was about to say. He knew it would be something naive along the lines of 'Why are you so angry?'. Something that would make him even more upset, something he wanted to be spared from having to hear. "Don't you get it? He used you. This entire _thing _is just a ploy, just a stupid ploy for him to touch you. And you fell for it. By now, you'd think someone like you would be used to men pretending to be interested in your well-being when everyone knows they only want one thing." Now he ironed his shirt rapidly and angrily on the bed, shaking his head as if she'd just said the most oblivious thing on Earth.

After what felt like hours of silence, only penetrated by the sound of Sasuke frantically ironing his shirt, he sighed. "If I had lower standards, my life would be so much easier. I wouldn't ever have to worry about another man even thinking about my wife, but that is not the case. Had I never been so unfaithful, I probably would not be so paranoid. Truthfully, I have no reason not to trust you, but for some reason I just can't. But I know you'll understand."

It was true. She understood completely. She had virtually no trust left within herself that had not been abused, she could only hope for the legitimacy of others. At every moment, she had been betrayed. Whether it had been her mother dying and leaving her alone, her father ignoring any emotional need she could produce, or Sasuke just performing in his own way; she'd been hurt so much. By now, she felt her eyes boring into the head of every woman that crossed her path, wondering which was the one - or rather - how many were there. She watched Sasuke's behavior and tendencies whenever he was around another female, even the maids in her own home. Her heart would begin to crack if he even glanced at one for more than a second. Of course, she remained silent of this. It was over, long ago. That void in their marriage had been replaced with two children. Did she really need to be jealous? Possibly but that wasn't the point.

"Nevertheless, I have business around town." Sasuke said, finally discontinuing his constant ironing of the cotton shirt and buttoning it up around his torso.

"Don't go." Hinata muttered meekly. "Please."

"It's a cold, I'm not going to die." He replied.

"I'll...go for you." She suggested weakly. "Just stay. Whatever you need done...I'll do it."

"Why?" He instantly became suspicious, the same way he had yesterday and felt no guilt about it.

"I...I just want to make things right." She said coyly.

Sasuke continued to stare at her, he wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. "Business is for men, Hinata."

"Please...it's the only way I can...the only way I can feel better." Her voice was barely audible. Sasuke just sighed, here she goes.

"Fine." He finally said.

She wiped a tear from under her eye and looked up at him.

"I need you to make a large withdrawal."

Hinata, shaking, cautiously poked open the heavy front door. She made sure to tip-toe through the living room, glancing around nearly every second for someone watching from the corner. How had she gotten herself into this? Sneaking into her own home, barely dressed and holding an envelope covered in mud. This would be the least of her worries, now she only wondered whether or not Sasuke knew that she had not come home. She was not well.

It all started that morning when she set out on a quest of her husband's design.

* * *

_Hinata left the house with her head held high, prepared to regain her credibility. She was dressed in only her best afternoon apparel, a dress given to her by a Chinese seamstress which was worth millions by this time. A butler followed her to the classic coupe Sasuke had gotten her years ago and opened the door delicately for her to sit upon the driver's side. She waved patriotically to the butler as she drove away from her home flat and into town. Behind her, the eyes of her home gleamed and wished her farewell. _

_Sasuke had asked her to withdraw a large sum of money from his bank account, just one of his bank accounts. She had no idea what the money was for and quite frankly she resisted the urge to care. It didn't matter, atleast not to her. She'd been given a simple and precise task, now if she could do it, she could win back the favor of her husband._

_She parked down the road from the establishment from which she would be withdrawing this money and stepped out of her car. She received many applause and greetings from passers by, it excited her that she was still - after all these years - a notable face. She proudly strolled over to the bank, one of the only banks in Konoha with the highest respects. There was a security guard outside who politely opened the door for her and noticeably ogled her outfit. She knew he would. The yellow dress with its lace trim gave off the impression of a woman who could afford anything._

_Inside, there was a man ready to take her request. He nodded to her nervously and directed her to a private desk at which he would discuss her intention. She sat without invitation as he sat on the other end, an electronic tablet between the two of them. _

"_Good morning, Mrs. Uchiha, it's good to see you around town." The teller spoke politely, logging her presence in his registry. "What transaction will you be making this morning?"_

"_A withdrawal please." Hinata answered patiently. _

"_A withdrawal - and of how much?" The teller asked._

_Hinata instinctively pulled out a small slip of paper from her hand bag and unfolded it precisely. "Forty-one thousand, four hundred-sixty dollars." She read from the sheet with a smile._

"_Wow." He grunted. "That's quite a sudden withdrawal, this may take weeks to process." He typed constructively into the screen of the tablet between them. "You can't withdraw more than 10,000 dollars a week. This could take up to a month, possibly more."_

"_Well..." Hinata spoke, her confidence breaking. "When can I receive the first payment?"_

"_Now if you like." He answered, already calculating the order. As Hinata watched his typing, a cylindric capsule shot through a channel under the teller's desk which was connected to the dispatchement safe. From the capsule the teller pulled a stack of paper money. He then opened his drawer and found an envelope, cramming the money inside. He pulled a pen from the drawer as well, neatly printing Hinata's name on the envelope then stamping it with the bank's official seal._

_He handed her the envelope with a confident smile. "10,000 dollars."_

_The took it and was simply engulfed by its importance. In all honesty, it was the most amount of money she'd ever held._

"_Is everything alright, Mrs. Uchiha? Do you need someone to show you home?" The teller prodded._

"_No, I'm fine." She reassured him with a smile, standing up to show herself out. The guard opened the door to let her out and she nodded in appreciation. Outside was bright, sunny. It was indeed the perfect day, she shielded her eyes with her gloved palm as she looked about. The town seemed more alive than ever, the vivacious surges she'd missed, the ones she had not seen since she was a young girl._

_She could see her car a few yards away but felt hesitant to go straight to it. She'd finished her business, she'd done her husband right. Did she not deserve a quick stroll? She rarely got out like this, why diminish the opportunity? She smiled, the sun wouldn't wait. With that her stroll began. She walked slowly and finely as if she had no one to meet, and she didn't. People waved and carried on, as time went by people rarely seemed to acknowledge who she was or rather her title. Being "normal" was so much more simple when Sasuke was not around._

_She passed by Yamanaka Flower Shoppe. She glanced into windows of kitchen supplies and clothing and jewelry. It was all so divine, so idle, it was something she truly sought out for. It was so basic, so primal, such things her husband forbid from their home. Such things she loved._

_As she continued to walk, she ran into shop centered between Iwamoto Jewelers and Shinamori's Contracting. The walls of the shop were constructed from stucco with windows stretching from the ceiling to the sidewalk. Inside she spotted Rip Dansei on a matted floor, stretching. She smiled, he was candid. Sasuke always seemed to live as if someone was watching. He even seemed routine, embarrassed and rehearsed during sex, as if he were being filmed or something ridiculous like that. Here Rip Dansei was, stretching and practicing for some new exercise routine in a room made of windows._

_He turned and met eyes with her accidentally, she grinned from the humiliation, watching Rip Dansei stretch, she seemed perverted. He stood up and seemingly pranced over to the locked door and opened it for her. She cautiously entered the shop with a warm expression. It was definitely a fitness establishment but resembled a dance studio much more. Green matts covered the floor and there wasn't much more furnishing to it, other than the flowers which lined the walls._

"_I see the Lord let you out of your cage." Rip smirked sarcastically, continuing his stretching as Hinata observed. "Came to see me?"_

"_No." She quickly replied, blushing all over. _

"_Then why are you here?" He asked._

"_I was just...in the neighborhood." She answered._

"_Of course." He smiled defiantly. "Just in the neighborhood."_

_Hinata frowned._

"_But I'm glad you're here. I was just starting to think I was never going to see you again." Rip snatched a towel from a stack in the corner, gently brushing off his face._

_Hinata blushed once again, having nothing to really say._

"_Why are you 'in the neighborhood' anyway?" Rip asked, hanging the damp towel on a wrack near him._

"_I making a withdrawal for my husband." She answered. She suddenly came to the realization that she was walking a bit lighter than before, not actually lighter but with less of one thing or another. She gasped in horror. "The money!"_

"_The money?" Rip repeated._

"_The money I withdrew for Sasuke, it was in a white envelope. I just had it!" She whimpered, searching around her feet incase she'd dropped it. It had been in her hand a moment before it seemed, but not it escaped her._

"_Okay, calm down." Rip said calmly. "How much money was in the envelope?"_

"_10,000 dollars." Hinata cried. _

"_So you lost 10,000 dollars of your husband's money?" Rip asked. Hinata nodded, trying to remain calm. "You're rich, it's not a big deal."_

"_It __**is **__a big deal." She murmured, already down on her knees and searching the floor. "I need to find it." She whispered breathlessly, standing up and nearly running out._

"_Hold on." Rip shot after her, grabbing her shoulder. "I'll come with you." He suggested._

"_You don't have to...it's my fault." Hinata sighed._

"_No. I want to help." He smiled. Hinata couldn't help but smile as well. They first traced her steps back to the bank, where she'd originally received the envelope packed with money she had no business holding. The teller acted oblivious to her initial visit. Hinata was perplexed by the teller's inability to recollect her presence, Rip Dansei was irritated - suspicious of the teller's legitimacy._

_From there they traced her steps back to Rip Dansei's shop, peeping under cars and in the cracks of buildings for any item similar to an envelope. They found scraps of newspapers and mice. Hinata's face grew red as she was afraid what Sasuke would do to her, after having lost a small fortune. Rip Dansei searched diligently._

_Their search ended at Rip's shop, after removing all of the royal blue mats from the floor and finding no white envelope packed with dollars underneath. Hinata, defeated, threw herself onto the last mat as it was placed back down on the floor. Rip stood up apologetically._

"_What am I going to do now?" Hinata sighed, wiping her eye of a tear the formed in the corner. She had expected Sasuke to be disappointed in her, so much that he would...strike her again as he did before. She was reassured that such actions would never happen again but she could never stop thinking about it._

"_Just tell him what happened." Rip said._

"_It's not that simple." Hinata shook her head ._

"_Well I'm sure Mr. Money-bags has 10,000 dollars to spare. There's nothing to be worried about." Rip sneered bitterly._

"_It's not about the money." Hinata groaned. "I promised him I could do this. This is what he needed me for. I'm going to disappoint him."_

"_You'll never disappoint him, Hinata." Rip bent over and touched Hinata's shoulder._

_Hinata chuckled with a sense of delightful irony about her. "Oh I have and I will." She smiled, her eyes glued to the floor. "You'd be surprised at how easy it is."_

_Rip tilted his head. "I'm starting to really dislike this Sasuke fellow."_

_Hinata laughed faintly. "You only dislike him because he kicked you out."_

"_No." Rip said as he adjusted one mat with his foot. "I dislike him because he doesn't know how to treat a __**lady**__." He said, stressing the word. Hinata raised a brow._

"_How to treat a __**lady**__?" Hinata mimicked, somewhat humorous but mostly intrigued. _

"_Yes." Rip said, pulling Hinata to her feet. "For starters, someone who knows how to treat a __**lady **__definitely doesn't make his wife leave the house in something like __**that**__." He said, grimacing at Hinata's dress._

"_Why this?" She huffed, pulling up the collar of her dress. "This is a classic, original, one of a kind. Real silk, woven by the __**premier **__Chinese seamstress. It's priceless. Further more, Sasuke didn't make me wear this, It's mine. I got it as a gift one day long ago."_

_Rip listened patiently to her ramble before interjecting his own opinion. "Yeah...but it's old."_

_Hinata gasped, this was a comment she'd never heard before about her apparel. She'd always held a very refined taste, she wore only the finest and would never be seen in something 'rag-tag' as she would describe it, outside of her home._

"_It's as ageless as it is priceless." She shrugged._

"_You sound like a ritz." Rip laughed as Hinata's face grew red. "Live a little." He poked at her and even dared to grab the shawl from around her waist that was acting as a belt for her ensemble. As the shawl fell, so slipped out a white envelope. Hinata immediately knelt over and plucked the envelope from the floor, she could feel the countless number of bills inside, making the envelope thick and she grinned._

_Rip Dansei began to laugh in hysteria. Hinata blushed._

"_Well...how did it get there?" She laughed embarrassedly. _

"_Good thing I insulted your dress, huh?" Rip cackled, his face was even turning red from all of his laughter._

"_I'm...I'm terribly sorry...I wasted your entire afternoon." Hinata shuttered timidly. _

_Rip, when he was finally done laughing and had absorbed as much oxygen as he possibly could, shook his head in delight. "Absolutely not." He managed to say through a gasp. "There's no one in this world who I would rather spend my time with."_

_Hinata's face flushed entirely and she shut her eyes in disbelief and mortification. "You're...you're embarrassing me, Rip." She pressed her palms to her heated face to somehow mask her glow._

_Rip stepped closer to him, a sly and relaxed grin graces his face as he stared intently into her's. Hinata's eyes were glued to his as she anticipated his actions. Rip's hands wrapped about her wrists and pulled them closer to him, and her body along with them. Just inches away from him, Hinata could faintly smell his skin, the thin layer of sweat brushed over it. _

_It wasn't like Sasuke's. There was no sense of painful and bitter perfection that exalted imperfections. It was a deep, mysterious scent. It smelled like some fashion of fountain or mystical lake hidden in a forest of nymphs. It was crisp, captivating and inviting. _

"_You're beautiful." He whispered to her, the moist breath from his words tickled her lips and taunted them with invitations. "Kiss me." He said, daring her._

"_W-why?" Hinata barely spoke._

"_So it's not wrong." He answered and Hinata's eyes dilated in arousal. His words were so plotted, his language was so alluring._

"_I can't." She said, without even having to think about it._

"_Why not?" He exhaled from his nostrils, flaring with displeasure - but gentle displeasure._

"_You know why." She lowered her eyes in shame but he never dropped his gaze._

_She could faintly feel his heart beating against her's and she began to rethink her position at the moment, she began to rethink the whole situation. But before she could come to a self-consensus, Rip pulled her into his arms and her chin was pressed to his chest._

"_Dammit, I can't wait." He growled quickly, pressing his lips to her's with savage desire. His fingers were tightly gripping her hair close to her scalp, pulling her head every-which-way. He broke away from her for a mere moment to gain air, she panted with his hands still tightly entangled in her hair. She almost pouted at the lack of contact. But this moment, this was more carnal than any other. They faced each other, bodies touching, and stared intently into the other's eyes. Both panting with mouths agape, with brows furrowed in lust. And in that moment, they were both contemplating their next move, both contemplating the wrongs and the rights to this. Damn, it was so wrong. But damn, it felt so right._

_There was no assertion however. He just continued to kiss her, devouring her mouth and moving his hips rhythmically against her's. There was some awkwardness to it, since he leaned against the wall and she pressed against him. _

_He quickly swung around, throwing her painfully up against the padded wall. She recoiled for a moment but then resumed her indecent heaves and pleas for more attention - which he granted her. He kissed her neck and his hands roamed any part of her he could reach. He separated once more, tugging at the end of her dress in an effort to pull it up. _

_She quickly swatted his hands away, shooting him a shocked and defiant look. "Stop."_

"_What?" He coughed._

"_You can't." She cried._

"_Why not?" He barked, grabbing the ends of her dress once more._

"_Because." She ripped her dress from his hands. "I'm married. I have a husband!"_

_Rip glared at her. "And what exactly does he mean to me?"_

_Hinata gritted her teeth, pushing herself from the wall. "I have to go." she said sternly._

"_No." Rip pulled her wrist and pushed her towards the wall. "I'm sorry." He kissed her neck lightly._

"_No." She muttered, pushing him away and stepped towards the door. She hung her head in shame, envelope in hand as she thought about her lustful and inconsiderate actions. "I'm sorry." She managed to say before speedily exiting the building. As soon as she stepped outside, she sighed deeply, fighting to keep the tears in her eyes._

_It began to pour down rain as she walked, slowly to her car. She was not offered any help as the local businesses were closing and not many people were out in the rain. Her hair was drenched and so was everything else by the time she reached her car. She sat in the driver's seat aimlessly, suddenly forgetting how to even drive, or not feeling up to the task._

_After several moments, she wiped her eyes and pulled out of her spot - speeding off down the road._

* * *

Hinata entered the house, her hair soaked and sticking to her face. The house was bright and pumping with life, nurses and maids were busy cleaning and catering to any whim while she barely existed.

She trudged in, leaving a trail of rainwater in her path. The oldest nurse, Ramma, touched Hinata's shoulder out of concern. Hinata cringed to the touch, feeling so impure that she wasn't even worthy of this woman's care.

"My dear, is there anything you need?" She patted Hinata's wet shoulder. Hinata pressed the envelope tightly to her chest and stared up the path of the stairs in a trance.

"No, thank you, Ramma." She said, hardly audibly.

"But, Dear, you're soaking wet." Ramma could say nothing more because Hinata had already mindlessly begun proceeding up the steps. Her steps were slow and heavy with guilt. As she entered the main corridor, where the rooms of the maids were, Kyo cam skipping happily down her way.

She turned away, she didn't want to see her son. Not now, not like this, not knowing what she'd done.

"Mommy!" He shouted in excitement, running up to her and tripping flat on his face, before getting up and running to her again. He hugged her leg before backing off and regretting it. "Eww, wet." He said, looking at his clothes that were now stained with water.

"Yes, Kyo." Hinata said, her voice cracking because she was moments away from pouring down her own rain. "Mommy was out in the rain." As tears flooded from her eyes, Kyo stepped back in shock. He'd never seen his mother cry before.

"Uh oh." He squawked. "I better go get Daddy." He ran away in the same tripping fashion and disappeared around the corner.

Hinata opened the nearest door she could find (they were all around her), which happened to be the room of one of the nurses, and threw herself onto the small twin-sized bed. And there she wept for what felt like hours to Hinata, although it was only around eight minutes.

Sasuke stepped through the door with a broad cough, nearly silently at that. He was still sick and feeling quite weak. He was dressed in gray sweat pants and a plain white v-neck t-shirt - which was out of character for him. He blew his nose into the tissue he held in his hand and scratched his messy hair.

"Hinata?" He rested his hand on the back of her shoulder.

"Yes?" She mumbled into the pillow. Hinata was no prima, there was no _attitude _to be had with Sasuke around. He wouldn't have it. You would answer him if you were spoken to and that was it.

"You're wet." He pulled his hand away, examining the moisture.

"I...was out in the rain." She murmured. Sasuke nodded, trying to understand.

"Oh." He spoke. "Well, is everything alright?" He inquired awkwardly, only because he felt as though he _had _to.

"Can you just...never mind." Hinata spoke softly into the pillow, tears staining the fabric.

"Can I, what?" Sasuke prodded.

"It's nothing." She rolled over on her side, tears now beginning to dry.

Sasuke examined her eyes and lips and general facial features, feeling compelled to help in some way, he felt like he was supposed to. "It doesn't look like nothing." Hinata's heart skipped a beat at that comment, that sentimental, compassionate comment.

"Can you just...can you just lay with me...for a while?" She whispered, sniffling with a blank expression.

"Of course I can." He said, felt the need to say, to assure of his concern for her. He was...well he was out right shocked, disturbed and confused at her behavior and especially at her whim - and he was honestly reluctant to lay in the bed of a woman who's name wasn't important enough for him to learn but it wasn't like he hadn't done it before.

He took a deep breath, crawling into the small bed beside her, even as she was dripping with water, he wrapped his hands around her waist and rested his face in her damp hair. She strained her head to meet eyes with him, to share a peaceful, trusting gaze - riddled with infidelity. Yet, he couldn't have known, he merely stared into her eyes, trying to understand whatever she was feeling.

**LazyHappyLucky**

**Is a missionary**

**Does work in other countries**

**Internet is scarce most of the time**

**Enjoy**


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